Bears running back Matt Forte is undeniably one of the most underpaid guys in the league. He’s also a nice fit for what coordinator Mike Martz likes to do on offense.
The fourth-year player has gained more yards from scrimmage since 2008 than everyone in the NFL except four people. He’s looking for a contract upgrade before the season, but won’t become a problem for the Bears.
“It never benefits anybody — a player or organization — to hold out or miss practices,’' Forte told the Chicago Tribune. “That’s obviously something I wouldn’t want to do.’'
Forte believes the Bears will be open to giving him a new deal. They don’t have a huge amount of key free agents, and will have to spend to get to the salary floor.
“Any time a player has been producing very well,’' Forte said, “they’re going to come back and say, ‘Hey, throw me a bone here.’”
Expect Forte to get a bone sometime in 2011, even if it doesn’t happen until the season starts. We expect teams to spend a lot of money re-signing their key young stars, and Forte is a perfect example of someone that is due for an upgrade.